Marquette has high expectations in third season under Shaka Smart, and the Golden Eagles have a challenging nonconference schedule.

The Marquette men’s basketball team expects to be one of the top teams in the country next season, and the Golden Eagles will be challenged with their nonconference schedule.

MU released its full slate of non-Big East games on Thursday, with the season opener set for Nov. 6 against Northern Illinois at Fiserv Forum. The conference schedule is usually released in early September.

The biggest games have previously been announced, like the Golden Eagles’ Gavitt Games matchup at Illinois on Nov. 14. The Fighting Illini will have a talented roster after Terrence Shannon and Coleman Hawkins pulled their names out of the NBA draft. Illinois also has added Southern Illinois transfer Marcus Domask, the 2019 Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin at Waupun High School.

MU’s annual matchup with state rival Wisconsin comes on Dec. 2 at the Kohl Center in Madison. The Badgers have won the last two games in the long-running series, including an overtime thriller last season.

Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart will see a familiar opponent with Texas coming to Fiserv Forum on Dec. 6 as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle. Smart was 109-86 as head coach for the Longhorns before jumping to MU. Texas will have a talented backcourt with former Racine St. Catherine’s star Tyrese Hunter joined by Oral Roberts transfer Max Abmas.

Another highlight of MU’s nonconference slate will be the Golden Eagles’ three games at the Maui Invitational, which boasts one of the strongest fields in its 40-year history. Purdue and Kansas are likely top-five teams, with Gonzaga, UCLA, Tennessee, Syracuse and host Chaminade rounding out the teams. The Maui bracket is usually released in late July or early August.

The Golden Eagles also end a home-and-home series with Notre Dame when the Fighting Irish come to Fiserv Forum on Dec. 9. MU won last season in South Bend, Indiana, but Notre Dame has a new head coach with Micah Shrewsberry replacing Mike Brey.

“I challenge you to go find a harder schedule than the one we’re about to go play,” Smart said last week. “We have at Illinois. We have at Wisconsin. We’re home against Texas. We’re home against Notre Dame.

“You’ve seen the Maui field, the teams we play there. And then the Big East is going to be as good as it’s been for a long, long time. So we absolutely need each and every one of our guys to step forward and grow and get better.”

MU’s schedule also includes home games with Rider on Nov. 10, Southern on Nov. 28 and St. Thomas on Dec. 14.

For the second straight season, the Golden Eagles will not play an exhibition game. MU will instead play two closed-door scrimmages against Division I competition.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette will play Illinois, Texas and in Maui for 2023-24 schedule